President’s Message - Russian River Fly Fishers · It is known for fishing and is especially...

Russian River Fly Fishers

President’s Message Finally, back on the water…

As you can see from the photos in this issue of the

CAST, our RRFF outings and our members are back in

action on local waters. After the record rains of 2019

that knocked out nearly all of our winter and early

spring calendar dates, we had our first big event at

Pyramid Lake, Nevada, as our “trout opener”. The

gathering was well-attended, with 20 members

staying overnight in rented trailers or their own

campers. The fishing was decent with some large

trout landed, but the part I enjoyed most was

hanging out with old friends and meeting new

members. It’s a chance to hear and tell stories of the

past and learn some new tricks from our fly fishing

colleagues.

I hope that all of our members have a chance to

participate in a club outing this year. We travel to

some of the best public waters in the state, and for

those who are new to the sport, our experienced

members can provide mentoring in the finer details

that improve angling success. We try to keep the

cost of lodging or camping minimal to fit all our

member’s budgets. Check out our club calendar to

find a date that meets your own schedule and fly

fishing interests.

County and 707-944-5533 for Sonoma, Marin, and Napa counties) and heard that the Russian and Gualala rivers are open for fishing. So watch the weather reports and the on-line stream flow gauges and wait for that “not too steelie-green” clearer water that works best for tempting our native trout that wanders the Pacific for years, but always comes back home to Sonoma County where it was born.

Pyramid Lake Outing 2019 Sunrise on Sunday

Since June 1977 Visit our website at www.rrflyfisher.org

Sonoma County California Volume 48, Number 5 May 2019

Pyramid Lake, NV Sunrise on Sunday


And if you have an interest in sharing your

knowledge of a particular water or region, our

outing coordinator, Chris Castellucci is always

looking for additional outing leaders. The main job of

a leader is to pick a promising location and date,

provide information on lodging and access, and

share fly fishing methods that have worked in the

past. Chris can provide guidelines on how to ensure

that your outing is a success, and while you won’t

earn any big “guide tips”, you will receive the lasting

admiration of your fellow RRFFer’s. And that’s better

than any gold.

Tight lines,

Ed Barich

This Month’s Speaker: Ryan Williams

At the end of April, my brother and I went fishing

with Ryan Williams on his home water of Lake

Oroville. We hired him for a half day in the

afternoon. He is a casual, laid back kind of guide. I

was interested in hiring him because he has a

pioneered a new way to fly fish for Largemouth Bass.

It is very effective January through June on lakes – a

time when I find myself needing a fishing fix.

We went to the Middle Fork arm of the Lake. He

motored along the shore with his electric motor at a

slow walking speed and had us throw his “Float ‘n

Fly” rig within about 10 ft of the shore. The “float” is

a specialized indicator and the fly is tied on a

weighted Jig hook. It takes about three to four

seconds for the fly to get down and then you are

fishing. We got hit almost right away. Largemouth

Bass don’t usually fight for a long time like trout, but

they pull like a freight train, almost doubling the 6

wt. most of the time.

Since the boat is moving, you don’t wait more than a

minute before recasting. It is not like bait fishing

where you just cast it out and leave it. If the catching

slows down, you just move to a different place. You

could easily do this kind of fishing from shore if you

don’t have a boat. We caught a bunch of Bass and

had a lot of fun doing it.

As the Sun got lower, one of us switched to top

water. This is my favorite kind of Bass fishing. The

blow ups can be heart stopping. Top water is more

of a summer thing and Ryan had said that the top

water hadn’t really started yet, though he was

expecting it to start any day. I was a bit bummed,

especially after watching the videos on his website.

He has a great web site, by the way, including how to

set up his “Float ‘n Fly” https://flyfishcnv.com/

We tried a top water plug without success. Then he

pulled out his “Stealth Bomber”. This fly requires a

little different technique to make it effective (think

“Pole Dancer”). Ryan is a good teacher and before

long I had hooked up with the first top water bass of

the season. Many more Bass were caught using both

the top water and the Float ‘n Fly rigs.

Ryan is our May speaker and will be guiding our club

at Clear Lake in the days right after our meeting. So

if you are not a trout snob (like I used to be), come

hear what he has to say. Ryan also guides Berryessa

and Clear Lake if you want to learn his techniques

closer to home. By: Gregg Wrisley

Ryan Wiliams

https://flyfishcnv.com/


Michael Wrisley

Pyramid Lake Outing Report - 2019 A great time was had by all at Pyramid Lake, attended by 21 RRFF members. The lake has changed once again with the rising lake level and with very little beach and rocks to fish on which enhanced the usual crowded conditions on Saturday. The weather was way too nice - "bluebird” days making for tough fishing conditions along with the usual parade of Lahontan cutthroat trout cruising the shoreline with lock jaw. Several members stayed to fish Sunday morning as the high winds and waves finally came, making for extreme fishing conditions. Maybe we will get a report at the next meeting if the conditions improved their luck in catching fish. Most everyone caught fish or had fish-on, with Walt Kruse, Mike Tibbet, Ed Barich, and Mike Kangraga having the most success. Mike Tibbet caught the biggest fish of the outing using his high ladder and his 11’6” switch rod very successfully. Newcomer Marcus Pipkin and our youngest club member, Jonah Critchen caught their first Lohontan Cutthroat trouts. When Jonah was not fishing, he was assisting others by netting their catch. Good job Jonah! We had several new members who had little to no experience fishing Pyramid Lake. Thanks to Don Shaw and Jeff Cratty who made their experience at the Lake more enjoyable by giving them some pointers.

Group dinners were fantastic, with Tom Mersich barbequing tri-tip, Bill Laurie cooking pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce, and caesar salad by Mike Kangraga for the Friday night meal. Saturday night’s dinner was headed by Matt Cardle’s delicious Paella with so many flavors and colors. What a masterpiece - everyone went back for seconds. Chris supplied the spinach salad and others brought appetizers, and desserts. No one went to bed

hungry. By: Chris Castellucci

Jonah Critchen and his dad with Jonah’s first fish ever caught on the fly!!!

Steve with a nice catch (someone’s finger was blocking the lense)


Rod with a fine fish!!!!

Don Shaw and Mike Spurlock: Fishing

Kiritimati (Christmas Island)

The nation of Kiribati (pronounced Kir-ee-bahs),

consists of 33 islands, mostly coral atolls and extends

about 2000 miles east to west, straddling the

equator. It is the only country that has land in all

four hemispheres.

The largest atoll is Kiritimati, pronounced Christmas

when you pronounce “ti” like “s”. It is 1300 miles

south of Honolulu and about 144 miles north of the

equator.

The international date line includes eastward loop

to capture all of the islands of Kiribati giving it the

distinction of being the first nation to see the new

day.

Kiritimati is the largest coral atoll in the world,

approximately 248 square miles of which about half

is lagoon. Photo below from International Space

Station:

It is known for fishing and is especially known for

year round flyfishing for bonefish and many other

fish.

In April 2019, Don Shaw and Mike Spurlock spent a

week of flyfishing at the “Villages”. The advantage

of this venue is that it is the only place offering one

guide per angler, a real advantage walking the flats

looking for bonefish. It is right on the lagoon, an

easy boat ride to wade the flats or to go out of the

lagoon to fish blue water. We spent time doing both

of these but mostly wading flats for bones,

triggerfish and Trevally.


We flew to Honolulu on Monday, spent the night,

and on Tuesday, made the once a week 3 hour flight

to Christmas Island arriving 3 hours later on

Wednesday. Photo below as we came in for landing:

All the flats are named and fishing locations are

agreed the prior evening.

For bonefish or triggerfish, we used 8 or 9 weight

rods for 9-12 ft leaders of 12-20 lb test. As we

walked the flats, the guide would carry a 10 or 12

weight rod rigged with a large streamer to cast to

Giant Trevally (GT) if one should appear. We used

the same rig to fish in blue water trolling for tuna or

casting over reefs for reef fish.

Below: Morning sunrise with the boats waiting:

The bonefish are very difficult to see. The guide

would spot them and tell you where to cast

attempting to get the shrimp fly into the path of the

approaching fish and making long slow strips. “Cast

25 feet, 11 o’clock. Slow strip, slow strip, etc……..”.

Casting distance is typically 15 to 40 feet. If you

have never fished for bonefish, you may ask, why

bonefish? One reason - Any bonefish more than

about 2 lbs will quickly take you into your backing. A

4 lb bonefish will go into your backing at least twice.

By the end of the week, we were seeing about half

of the bones once the guide pointed them out and

maybe one or two that the guide missed.

Mike with a great fish!!!

Don got a nice one too!!!


We always waded the flats with the wind at our

back. The guides had radios and the boat would pick

us up in an hour or so and move us around to a new

flat:

All birds are protected and there are many.

Redfooted Boobies, Sooty Terns on nearby Cook’s

Island:

Milkfish:

Tuna:

More Photos to come from Mike and Don’s trip

next month:


Steelhead in the Classroom

Happenings at the creek (where else?)!!!

Tom Greer reports excitement and adventure on

Santa Rosa Creek on April 15th just East of Willowside

Rd. with his classrooms from Oak Grove Elementary:

“We saw one LARGE steelhead jump and one LARGE

steelhead swimming upstream (or at least I think

they were steelhead @ 18-20 inches long, maybe

longer). A river otter also swam across the creek

while we were between classes, and one of the kids

caught a crawfish (and put it back where he caught

it). We also scooped up a number of minnows as I

was looking for macroinvertebrates.”

And this was April 15th as the kids, teachers, and

volunteers were there to release steelhead fry from

the classroom. Wow! Double wow!

Quote of the month submitted by Charlie Jacobs,

again from Oak Grove Elementary- “One young lady

spent a lot of time bestowing her sentiment on her

fry “… I hope you grow up to be a mother and have a

bizzillion children.”

The release from Cross and Crown Elementary in

Rohnert Park was at Copeland Creek just off of

Snyder Lane. Mrs. Der has involved her 4th grade

students and the entire rest of the school in grade-

level appropriate learning and hands-on study. The

children, volunteers and teachers were able to walk

to the creek- very exciting!

Above is the K-1 class performing a song about the

life-cycle of the steelhead for everyone’s enjoyment.


At the creek, after the release, a very motivated

group of boys and girls found bugs in the under rocks

(mayfly and others) and identified them using the “A

Trout’s Diet” poster held by Paul Matson’s daughter

.

This is a very special area with easy access and lots

of room for children to spread out and experience.

This year, 15 RRFF Coaches worked with over 20

elementary classrooms from Cloverdale, Sebastopol,

Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Marin County to assist

teachers in their Steelhead in the Classroom studies.

There were lots of obstacles to overcome (flooding

on egg delivery date Feb 27th, school cancelled and

no power at some of the schools). The coaches were

up to the challenge and offered great skills and

compassion. Thank you, coaches for your continued

efforts and sharing!

This is really an extremely worthwhile program that

builds watershed, life-cycle and environmental

learning as well as cooperation, individual skills and

team building. By: Karl Joost

Mike with a Pyramid lake monster to close out this issue of The Cast!! We all can’t wait till next year!!!

RRFF Newsletter Submissions

Newsletter materials are due the fourth Monday of each month. Please email submissions as an

MSWord doc to our newsletter editor:

Marcus Pipkin – [email protected]


RRFF Board of Directors

President: Ed Barich

539-4608 [email protected]

Vice President: Doug Mackay


Secretary: Vacant

Treasurer & Webmaster: Mike Spurlock

(415)-599-6138 [email protected]

Casting Instruction Chairman, Facebook: Steve Tubbs


Program Chairman: Don Shaw 664-8573 [email protected] Library Master / Outings: Don Shaw


Outings Chairman: Chris Castellucci


Member at Large: Mike Kast


Membership Chairman: Doug Mackay


Member at Large, Casting for Recovery: Paul Matzen 795-8885 [email protected]

Raffle Assistant: Ken Young 539-9649 [email protected]

Conservation Chairman: Vacant

Raffle Coordinator: Gregg Wrisley


Member at Large: Jeff Cratty


Steelhead in the Classroom: Karl Joost


Coordinators

Day Fishers & Fly Tying: Lee Soares


Women’s Activities: Susan Bostwick


Casting Pond Steward: Doug Mackay


Casting Pond Monitor: Binky Castleberry


Newsletter Editor: Marcus Pipkin 615-969-9200 [email protected]

May Calendar of Events

RRFF Thursday Evening Fly Casting Clinics – Held

every Thursday during Daylight Savings Time – 4:30 until 7:00 pm (weather permitting).

This event is FREE and is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! Beginners are welcome...

4 Annual Pond Cleaning 8 am – noon : Volunteers needed - lunch provided (Doug Mackay) 8 General Meeting – Santa Rosa Vets Hall, Speaker Ryan Williams (Clear Lake Bass/Crappie) 9-11 Clear Lake Outing (Chris Castellucci) 15 Board Meeting 23-27 Sacramento River Shad Outing – Verona (Lee Soares)

Visit www.rrflyfisher.org for a complete list of upcoming events!

Support Our Local Fly Fishing Businesses!

Archuleta’s Reel Works Custom fishing reel repair, servicing, and manufacturing. 733 Detrick Drive, Grants Pass, OR 97527 (541) 956-1691 Bill Archuleta, owner www.archuletasreelworks.com

King’s Sport and Tackle Clothing, flies, rods, supplies, gear, accessories, instruction, guide service, and canoe rental. 16258 Main Street, Guerneville, CA 95446. (707) 869-2156. www.kingsrussianriver.com

Outdoor Pro Shop, Inc. Fishing gear, supplies, fly fishing, flies, rods and, accessories. 412 Houser Street, Cotati, CA 94931. (707) 588-8033, Fax (707) 588-8035 www.outdoorproshop.com Sportsman’s Warehouse Top brands for hunting, fishing, and more at America’s Premier Outfitter 5195 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park, CA 94928 (707) 585-1500 www.sportsmanswarehouse.com

../../../../../../../../AppData/Steve/Documents/AppData/Local/Documents%20and%20Settings/Documents%20and%20Settings/steve/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK1D3/TheCAST%20Materials/May%20Materials/TheCAST-February2013R/February%20Materials/January%20Materials/Documents%20and%20Settings/steve/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK1D3/TheCast-July2012/[email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]














http://www.archuletasreelworks.com/

http://www.guernevillesport.com/

http://www.outdoorproshop.com/

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/



c/o Mike Spurlock 20 San Domingo Way Novato, CA 94945

Russian River Fly Fishers Membership Application

I acknowledge in this agreement, and fully understand, that it is a release of liability. I further acknowledge that I am waiving any right that I may have to bring legal action or to assert a claim against Russian River Fly Fishers (RRFF) for its negligence. Any member who invites a non-member (including member’s spouse and family) agrees that such guest is bound by the same conditions and agrees to so advise the guest. I have read this statement and agree to its terms as a condition of my membership in the Russian River Fly Fishers. This agreement is valid for all RRFF sanctioned events, (fishing outings, picnics, meetings).

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President’s Message - Russian River Fly Fishers · It is known for fishing and is especially...

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